


Travels Through Time

by ThimbleOfWeeds



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Accurate to Old Lore about Merlin, Master of Death Harry Potter, Not Accurate to Merlin TV Show, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27721841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThimbleOfWeeds/pseuds/ThimbleOfWeeds
Summary: Who knew a trip to a long lost, magically powerful island would have consequences? Thanks to a mysterious package, Harry ends up thousands of years in the past with no way back. Inspired by A Long Journey Home but very different.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	Travels Through Time

The last rays of the sun's light hit the leaves of the trees, turning them from green to a warm, golden orange. The chirping of birds could be heard though their sources couldn't be seen in any of the branches. Flowers of all colours and shapes filled the ground, their sweet smell infiltrating the air. The temperature was the comforting warmth of late spring - not the undue heat of summer or the brisk chill of winter- and a light breeze made the grass wave in delight.

A simple, black tent was set up in the middle of the meadow. There was a small hole in the side of the tent and bright light was pouring out of it. The tent was small. It looked like it could barely cover one person, and even then it would have to be someone short. However, the inside of the tent was much larger than it seemed. There was a living room, complete with couches and a bookshelf; a kitchen and dining room; two bedrooms; and even a bathroom.

Sitting in the living room were three people. One was a tall, lanky redhead with scars covering his arms and a handmade, blue blanket laid on top of him. In his arms was a brunette witch with a letter in her hands. "Is this really all you have, Harry?" she asked, looking up to the last person in the room.

He had wild, black hair that was just long enough to get in front of his green eyes. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I made sure it wasn't charmed or anything before I opened it," he said defensively.

"It's just seems suspicious, mate. I mean, it's Avalon. No one's seen Avalon in a thousand years," the redhead said.

"Exactly! This is too interesting to pass up," Harry replied.

The other two traded a look. They had been doing that a lot ever since they got together. It was annoying, but at least now they didn't fight as much. Harry would rather have the knowing looks than the month long arguments that they used to share.

"Harry, you don't even know who wrote this. They didn't sign their name," the brunette said, "And we have no idea if this even is Avalon."

"It is pretty enough for it," the redhead interjected.

"That's besides the point, Ron," the witch said with a glare. "Harry, this could be a trap."

"Hermione, it'll be fine. We survived Voldemort. Plus there's easier ways to get at us if someone really wanted to attack us," Harry replied with a wave.

Hermione let out an exasperated huff, "Just because you survived Voldemort doesn't mean you're invincible, Harry."

"Lay off him, Hermione," Ron said.

Hermione glared at the lanky man before she sighed, "Fine, but we should still be prepared."

"We will be. We have wards set up around the tent, and you and I can Disillusion ourselves while Harry stays under the Cloak until whoever left the letter shows up tomorrow," Ron said.

Harry nodded, "Sounds good to me. And until then, we'll explore the island.'

Hermione cracked a grin. "If this really is Avalon, this is an opportunity too good to pass up."

The trio moved on to other, lighter topics for the rest of the night. When inevitably the candles grew short and their yawns long, they retired to their beds.

Harry woke up to the sounds of chirping birds coming from outside the tent. The window in his bedroom was filled with artificial light. It was the first time since before the end of the War that Harry had slept in. Whether that was due to whatever magical properties Avalon possessed or simply because the hike to find the island had taken hours before they even crossed the sea, Harry's normal restlessness had been absent last night.

As Harry left his room, he heard hushed whispers coming from the kitchen.

"Hermione, this is the best Harry's been since Hogwarts. This is the first time he's left Grimmauld Place in weeks."

"I'm glad Harry's happier too, Ron, but we still need to be careful. We have no idea who sent that letter, and if this really is Avalon, why would someone reveal it to us after all this time?"

"We have a plan, Hermione. Let's just enjoy this, alright? Even if it is a trap, it's too late to turn back now."

"I suppose. And Harry really does seem like he's doing better," Hermione allowed.

"I don't remember the last time he's slept in so long," Ron said, "I think it was third or fourth year."

Harry shut his door with a clang, and the conversation cut off. "Morning, guys," he said as he walked into the kitchen.

"I made breakfast, Harry," Hermione said.

"Er- I could have made it, Hermione," Harry said. Hermione's cooking had not improved in the six months since the war's end. Ron often came to Grimmauld Place to eat the food cooked there. Whether Kreacher or Harry made it, it was much better than what was on offer in Ron and Hermione's flat.

"You were sleeping, Harry. And Mrs. Weasley gave me a new recipe I wanted to try," Hermione said with a wave. She put a plate in front of Harry. The food looked burnt in some places and raw in others; it was actually pretty impressive.

Ron shot Harry a warning look, and Harry pushed the plate to the side. "Thanks, Hermione, but I think I'll just have some tea. I'm not that hungry."

Hermione looked between the pair of them. "It's not that bad! I did everything Mrs. Weasley did!" She grabbed Harry's pushed away plate and took a bite. Hermione spat out the food, "Oh, this is really awful!" She looked up at Ron. "How did you eat your plate? You told me it was good!"

"It was better than what you usually make," Ron murmured with a grin at Harry.

Hermione glared at him, "My food isn't that bad."

"Yeah Ron. She made some soup the other night. That was pretty good," Harry said with a smile.

"Ron made that," Hermione muttered.

"I can make some eggs for all of us," Harry offered, standing up.

"Only if you let me watch," Hermione said.

"She burns them every time," Ron laughed.

Harry started cooking up a new breakfast for the group. Hermione trailed after him, watching his moves with the same focus she read books with. It was honestly disconcerting, and Harry was waiting for her to pull out a notebook and start writing everything down. Eventually, they finished cooking, and all three of them settled down to eat.

Harry's meal was received with many compliments from the other two though Hermione's came grudgingly. After they finished, they packed up the tent, and prepared to explore what could be a legendary island.

"King Arthur is supposedly buried here," Hermione said as she slipped the tent into her purse.

"What? This island was ruled by Morgana le Fay and her sisters. A muggle was never buried here," Ron said, baffled. "Where'd you get that idea?" 

"Morgana had sisters?" Hermione asked, "King Arthur was supposed to be the only sibling she had. I'm sure of it."

"Who cares?" interrupted Harry. "We have a whole island to explore, and we need to find the cave from the letter."

"It's interesting the difference between muggle and wizard lore," Hermione defended.

The trio spent the day wandering through the enchanted lands of Avalon. They walked under the golden apples that hung from every bough, and around them grew bushes of plump, wild berries. Climbing over the hills that made up the island revealed a land of green grass, trees heavy with fruit, and rivers of clear, pure water.

At noon, they settled into one of the many flowered meadows on the island, eating the apples and berries that grew plentiful around them. Afterwards, they decided to try and find the source of the birdsong that they could hear no matter where they went on Avalon. While they found many songbirds throughout the woods, none of them were the source of the almost etheral birdsong the trio heard.

The group started to search for the cave mentioned in the letter Harry receive. They were supposed to meet someone there at dusk, and the sun was already falling in the sky. Who they were meeting was unknown to the group, nor did they know why this person wanted to meet with Harry. In fact, all they really did know was that this person knew the secret of Avalon, and whoever it was had shared it with Harry. 

It was enough to draw Harry's interest. He had been prepared to leave immediately, but was stopped by Kreacher insisting on packing him a bag for the journey. By the time he was finished, Ron and Hermione had come over and heard about his plans. And now here they were, searching the mythical island for a cave to meet with a mysterious stranger who might very well want to curse them all.

The group started to search for the cave mentioned in the letter Harry received. They were supposed to meet someone there at dusk, and the sun was already falling in the sky. None of them knew who exactly they were meeting. Whoever it was gave them instructions to reach the mythical Avalon, a place lost for over one thousand years. They sender also didn't give a reason for the meeting.The letter Harry had received had been brusque, just giving instructions on how to find Avalon, and what time to meet them. 

As they started to head towards the hills on the west side of the island, Hermione once more brought up the plan. "We should see if whoever we're meeting is already there before we enter the cave. If they're not, we should set up a few wards, too. Just for protection."

"Hermione, this person told us where Avalon is, they'll be able to get through whatever wards we put up," Ron pointed out.

"Maybe, but it wouldn't hurt to try," Hermione said with a sniff, "And I was reading about a few wards that I've been wanting to practice."

"As long as you don't hurt them before we find out why they wanted to talk to me," Harry said with a grin.

Ron lauged as Hermione blushed, and the trio continued their trek. It didn't take long for them to reach the hills, Avalon itself wasn't a large island by any means. They wove through the fruit trees, and searched for a cave entrance. Eventually, they came upon a worn path, similar to a deer's trail, and having no better lead, they began to follow it. It curved around the bases of the hills, wound around the berry bushes and flowers that filled the island, before it ended at the mouth of a cave.

The entrance wasn't large, no more than seven feet, and only wide enough for one person to fit through at a time. Slughorn would have trouble entering it, Harry thought, and Hagrid wouldn't even be able to think about it. The entrance was undoubtedly manmade, and probably by magic. The stone surrounding the entrance was a gleaming white that looked brand new, and it looked as if it had been smoothed by a huge piece of sandpaper. Two torches made of gold were on either side of the entrance, and a green light, eerily reminsicent of the Killing Curse erupted from the tops.

Hermione's wand came out and she began waving it around, casting spells to try and detect anyone's presence. After a few spells, she put it away. "We should be alone," she said.

"Should we go in?" Harry asked. He felt drawn towards the cave. It was dark and mysterious in a way that nothing had been in a long while. It didn't feel dangerous, however. It was like there was something just for him down there, and he just needed to go in and take it.

"'Mione and I should disillusion ourselves, first," Ron said.

"Let me cast some wards on the entrance," Hermione said. She walked towards it and began casting, tracing the entrance with her wand, muttering under her breath as she went.

"Know what wards she's putting up?" Harry asked Ron as they watched her.

Ron shrugged, "Not a clue. She did pick up a pretty thick book about them a month ago. After that, I wasn't able to enter her office for a week."

"How'd you get in?"

"Well one day I couldn't get in to tell her dinner was done, and she missed it entirely. I made her take them down then."

"Classic Hermione," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione put her wand away and walked over to the two men. "Okay. I've put up everything I can think of. I should know whenever someone enters the cave."

"Right then," Ron said before Disillusioning himself and Hermione.

"Keep your Cloak on you in case whoever we're meeting is dangerous, Harry," Hermione said quietly.

Harry nodded, "Don't worry. It's in my pocket."

Harry passed through the entrance, and he had to appreciate Hermione's work. He couldn't even tell he was crossing through wards. Through the entrance, there was a straight tunnel with a slight descent. It was made of the same smooth, white stone as the opening. As Harry began to walk down the tunnel, more gold and green torches began to light up ahead of him, leading him ever downward.

The pull he had felt earlier began to grow stronger the further Harry walked. It felt like a rope was coming from his chest and pulling him further down the tunnel. His feet were moving of their own accord, carrying him past dozens of torches through the seemingly endless hall.

Harry was met with the end of the tunnel in the form of a solid stone door. There was no doorknob; instead, a snake was carved onto the surface of the door. Harry hadn't used Parseltounge in years, and after he was killed by Voldemort, he thought he had lost it. When he looked into the snake's eyes, however, he felt the sibilant tongue take over. "Open," he hissed. The snake wriggled before it's tail came out of the door, creating a door knob. Harry pulled on it, and the door swung open.

The room on the other side was made of the same white stone as the rest of the cave, and it carried a cold, musty smell that reminded Harry of the Chamber of Secrets. The gold and green torches had been replaced by floating purple, blue, and gold werelights. A sarcophagus made of the white stone and trimmed with gold was in the center of the otherwise bare room. A large battle was carved onto one side of the stone; another had a coat of arm with three crowns on it. The top of the sarcophagus had the relief of a tall man with a short beard. On top of his clasped hands was a small package addressed to Harry.

But that wasn't what held Harry's interest. For some reason, the tugging in his chest seemed to be leading to a random spot on the far side of the room. Harry drew his wand and cast Homenum Revelio. The spell alerted him to Hermione and Ron behind him, but there seemed to be no one else in the room. Harry began to cast revealing spells around the room, particularly the spot in the room that he felt so drawn to. His spells didn't come up with anything at all, and so with difficulty, Harry ignored the tugging at his chest.

Turning back to the letter, Harry once again began to revealing spells on it. His efforts revealed nothing suspicous. "It seems safe," Hermione said.

"Do you think we're actually going to meet anyone here?" Ron asked.

"If we are, they're late," Hermione said, "My wards haven't been triggered by anyone, and there's no one in this cave other than us."

"I don't know," Harry said slowly, "It feels like something's watching me."

"Might just be us, mate," Ron replied, "We are still Disillusioned."

"Yeah. Maybe," Harry said, moving closer to the package. "Might as well open it, right?"

"I guess, but I don't like this," Hermione said.

"Hey nothing bad's happened so far," Ron answered, "Whoever sent us here might just want to reward the Man-Who-Conquered."

"Don't start," Harry growled. He hated that dumb nickname. He had gotten used to the Boy-Who-Lived though it made him uncomfortable still. The Man-Who-Conquered still didn't sit right to Harry though, months after the press had adopted the name. Harry didn't conquer anything. He could barely defend his home. He couldn't save his classmates. Behind him, Harry heard a shove and someone stumbling back.

"Hey!" Ron complained. Harry assumed Hermione had hit him. Luckily they were both Disillusioned, so they couldn't have one of their eye conversations right now.

Suddenly, Harry felt a tug on his chest, like someone had grabbed the rope. He refocused on the package and began to unwrap the plain, brown wrapping. A small, brown pouch was eventually revealed. As soon as the last of the wrapping was torn away, however, Harry felt a tug on his navel. "Guys," Harry said, "I think this may have been a trap." He couldn't take his hand off where it was holding the knapsack.

"Harry?!" Hermione asked from somewhere behind him, "What's wrong?"

"I think this is a Portkey," Harry answered. He saw Hermione and Ron drop their Disillusionment and rush towards him, but before they could reach him, he felt himself lifted off the ground and transported away.


End file.
